100,000+
shipments delivered since 2015
TSA and TWIC Secure Facility Pickups
Some freight sits behind a gate that an ordinary driver cannot pass. OVN dispatches drivers who hold the credentials required for unescorted access to secure freight facilities. Drivers who have completed a TSA Security Threat Assessment and current air cargo security training can take unescorted custody of cargo bound for an aircraft, including pickups from a TSA pre-screening facility straight to the plane. Drivers who hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, can enter secure areas of port and maritime facilities regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act without an escort. OVN is the carrier of record on every one of these moves, dispatches in-house 24 hours a day, and responds to quote requests in under 15 minutes.
What Each Credential Actually Allows
"TSA certified" and "TWIC certified" get used loosely in freight, and they are not interchangeable. They come from different statutes, they are checked at different gates, and they allow different things.
| Credential | What it is | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| TSA Security Threat Assessment (STA) | A background and identity vetting conducted by TSA, required under 49 CFR 1548.15 before an individual is given unescorted access to cargo that will be tendered to an aircraft. Drivers apply through an indirect air carrier. | Unescorted custody of air cargo, including collecting freight from a shipper or screening facility and tendering it to an airline. This is what the industry means when it says, "TSA cleared driver." |
| Air cargo security training | Annual training required under 49 CFR 1548.11 covering screened cargo handling, chain of custody, and sensitive security information. A driver working for multiple indirect air carriers only needs it once a year from one of them. | Paired with the STA, it is the second half of what a forwarder is asking about when they ask whether your driver is cleared. |
| TWIC | The Transportation Worker Identification Credential, a biometric card issued by TSA following a security threat assessment, established under the Maritime Transportation Security Act. | Unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA-regulated port facilities, marine terminals, and vessels. Without it a driver needs a paid escort, which costs time and money and puts the pickup on someone else's schedule. |
The two overlap in one useful way. A driver who already holds a TWIC, a hazardous materials endorsement issued after June 2005, a FAST card, or an airport SIDA badge has already passed an equivalent TSA threat assessment, which can satisfy the STA requirement for air cargo access. That is why the same drivers tend to hold both, and it is why a carrier with credentialed drivers can usually cover an airport pickup and a port pickup with the same person.
Straight From TSA Pre-Screening to the Plane
When cargo has been screened and needs to reach an airline without breaking the chain of custody, the driver who collects it needs to be cleared before they arrive. OVN dispatches drivers with a current TSA Security Threat Assessment and air cargo security training for these moves, so freight can go from a shipper, a screening facility, or a forwarder warehouse directly to the airline without an escort and without a second handoff.
Tell dispatch at the time of the quote that the pickup requires a cleared driver. OVN will confirm credential availability before the load is accepted rather than at the gate.
Port and Maritime Terminal Pickups
Secure areas of MTSA-regulated port facilities and marine terminals require a TWIC for unescorted access. A driver without one has to be escorted, if the facility permits it at all, which adds cost and puts the pickup on the terminal's schedule rather than yours.
OVN has TWIC-holding drivers available for port and marine terminal pickups, including urgent moves off a terminal against a cutoff. As on every OVN shipment, OVN is the carrier of record, so one company holds the contract, the liability, and the accountability for what happens inside the gate.
Do You Actually Need a Cleared Driver?
Not always, and the distinction saves money. A credentialed driver is required when a driver takes unescorted custody of cargo that will be tendered to an aircraft, or when a driver needs unescorted access to a secure area of a regulated port facility. Freight that has already come off an aircraft and been released by the airline has generally cleared the security chain and collecting it does not by itself require a cleared driver.
If you are not sure which applies, describe the pickup to dispatch and OVN will tell you which credential the site requires. Sending a cleared driver where one is not needed narrows the pool of available vans for no benefit, and sending an uncleared driver where one is required means the freight does not move.
How OVN Verifies Credentials Before Dispatch
Credential status is checked before a driver is assigned, not assumed from a file. Every driver in OVN's network has already cleared the standard OVN vetting before their first load: business and paperwork verification, legal work authorization, DOT compliance, and insurance verification with OVN named as additional insured and certificate holder. For a secure-facility move, OVN confirms the specific credential is current for that driver before the load is accepted, and tells you if it is not.
Credentials expire. A TWIC is valid for five years and air cargo security training must be renewed annually, which is why the check happens at dispatch rather than at onboarding.
Lead Time and Availability
Cleared drivers are a subset of OVN's network of over 1,300 OVN-qualified cargo vans and box trucks, positioned around major airports and port regions. Dispatch is staffed in-house 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and quotes come back in under 15 minutes.
Because the credentialed pool is smaller than the full network, the pickup window on a secure-facility move depends more on where the nearest cleared driver is than on OVN's response time. Flag the credential requirement in your first message and OVN will give you a real window rather than an optimistic one.
Every van on this map is available to dispatch. When we quote you, one of them is already yours.
1,300+
OVN-qualified cargo vans and box trucks across North America
Under 15-minutes
average response to a quote
24/7/365
in-house dispatch, live, not an answering service or portal
FAQ
A TWIC, or Transportation Worker Identification Credential, is a biometric identity card issued by the Transportation Security Administration after a security threat assessment. It was established under the Maritime Transportation Security Act and is required for unescorted access to secure areas of regulated port facilities, marine terminals, and vessels. A driver picking up or delivering freight inside those areas needs a TWIC, or a paid escort, which adds cost and delay.
In air cargo, a cleared driver is one who has completed a TSA Security Threat Assessment under 49 CFR 1548.15 and current air cargo security training under 49 CFR 1548.11. Together those allow the driver unescorted custody of cargo that will be tendered to an aircraft. The assessment is applied for through an indirect air carrier, and the training is renewed annually. There is no single card called a TSA certification for drivers, which is why the phrase gets used loosely.
Yes. OVN dispatches drivers holding a current TSA Security Threat Assessment with air cargo security training, and drivers holding a TWIC, for pickups that require unescorted access to secure facilities. Credential status is verified for the specific driver before the load is accepted rather than assumed from a file. Tell dispatch which credential the site requires when you request the quote.
Yes. OVN dispatches cleared drivers for pickups that run from a shipper, screening facility, or forwarder warehouse directly to an airline without breaking the chain of custody. Because the credentialed pool is a subset of the full network, flag the requirement at the time of the quote and OVN will confirm availability before accepting the load.
Yes. OVN has TWIC-holding drivers available for pickups and deliveries inside secure areas of MTSA-regulated port facilities and marine terminals, including urgent moves against a terminal cutoff. OVN is the carrier of record on those moves, so one company holds the contract, the liability, and the accountability.
Usually not. The security threat assessment requirement applies to unescorted custody of cargo that will be tendered to an aircraft. Freight that has already flown and been released by the airline has generally cleared the security chain, and collecting it does not by itself require a cleared driver. Requirements vary by facility, so describe the pickup to OVN dispatch and you will get a specific answer before the driver is assigned.
OVN responds to any quote request in under 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. On a secure-facility move the limiting factor is the location of the nearest credentialed driver rather than response time, because cleared drivers are a subset of the network of over 1,300 OVN-qualified cargo vans. Flag the credential requirement in your first message and dispatch will quote a real pickup window based on an identified driver.